What is the explanation of this Hadith about sitting at home? (number 22146 from Musnad Ahmad)

Question

I've recently seen a photo of this Hadith which says:

The prophet (s.a.w) said:

Whoever sits in his house so that the people are safe from Him and he is safe from people his security is guaranteed from Allah.

This is probably with reference to the corona pandemic going on right now. I want to know if this Hadith really is mentioned in the book because I couldn't find it and if it is , is it in the context of an epidemic or anything else. Jazakallah

Answer 1

First of all the numerations in hadith books have been made by editors so each Edition might use a different numbers for the same hadith. Also note that some hadith books have been rearranged by commentators so each commentator would follow his own numeration.

Secondly you may find in Sahih al-Bukhari at least two narrations on the authority of 'Aishah which are a more suitable evidence for this.

Narrated `Aisha:
(the wife of the Prophet) I asked Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) about the plague. He told me that it was a Punishment sent by Allah on whom he wished, and Allah made it a source of mercy for the believers, for if one in the time of an epidemic plague stays in his country patiently hoping for Allah's Reward and believing that nothing will befall him except what Allah has written for him, he will get the reward of a martyr.".
(Sahih al-Bukhari the second narration is on the same chapter and very similar to the above quotation)

The relevant or similar hadith (version) from Musnad Ahmad only differs from the wording above by the words:

stays in his house (or at home)

Instead

stays in his country

Here is a translation the full quote of the hadith from Musnad Ahmad:
^{I've only added the rest of the narrator chains between brackets}

25608 حدثنا عبد الصمد حدثنا داود يعني ابن أبي الفرات قال حدثنا عبد الله بن بريدة عن يحيى بن يعمر  عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ: سَأَلْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنِ الطَّاعُونِ؟ فَأَخْبَرَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «أَنَّهُ كَانَ عَذَابًا يَبْعَثُهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى مَنْ يَشَاءُ، فَجَعَلَهُ رَحْمَةً لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ، فَلَيْسَ مِنْ رَجُلٍ يَقَعُ الطَّاعُونُ، فَيَمْكُثُ فِي بَيْتِهِ صَابِرًا مُحْتَسِبًا يَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ لَا يُصِيبُهُ إِلَّا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَهُ إِلَّا كَانَ لَهُ مِثْلُ أَجْرِ الشَّهِيدِ»

(We have narrated from 'Abd as-Samad from Dawod (referring to ibn Abi Furat)vfrom' Abdullah ibn Abi Buraidahfrom Yahya ibn Y'amar from) ‘Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about pestilence and he said, “It is a punishment which Allah sends upon whomsoever He wills, but Allah has made it as a mercy to the believers. Anyone who  remains in his house with pestilence maintaining patience expecting the reward from Allah, and knowing that nothing will befall him other than what Allah has foreordained for him, he would receive a reward of Shaheed”.

The biggest issue in this chain is the apparently unknown Dawod. The rest of the narrators have a good grad of authenticity.

Answer 2

Note that numbers are a poor reference for ahadith as they differ with the publication. Also it is difficult to find something in the Musnad from translation of the content alone.

Possibly you are referring to this hadith:

عن معاذ قال: عهد إلينا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في خمس من فعل منهن كان ضامنا على الله: من عاد مريضا، أو خرج مع جنازة، أو خرج غازيا في سبيل الله، أو دخل على إمام يريد بذلك تعزيره وتوقيره، أو قعد في بيته فيسلم الناس منه ويسلم

_{[ My own translation so treat with caution]}

Muadh ibn Jabal narrrated: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ promised us regarding five acts that the one does does them Allah will be his guarantor:

1. One who visits the sick
2. One who goes out with the funeral
3. One who takes part in battle in the way of Allah
4. One who visits the Imam to respect and esteem him
5. One who sits at his home so that the people remain safe from him and he remains safe from them

^{— Musnad Ahmad - تمة مسند الأنصار حديث معاذ بن جبل}

As goldPseudo has mentioned, there are variants of this hadith recorded by Ibn Hibban, Ibn Khuzaima, Tabarani, Hakim etc. Also there are several other ahadith with similar meaning, for example:

قلت: يا رسول الله، ما النجاة؟. قال: أمسك عليك لسانك، وليسعك بيتك، وابك على خطيئتك

I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), "How can salvation be achieved?"

He replied, "Control your tongue, keep to your house, and weep over your sins."

^{— Jami at-Tirmidhi ~ Saheeh al-Albani}

The context of these is living in solitude (العزلة) in general so as to avoid sins and fitnah, and they are not about epidemics. On the other hand there are ahadith about general quarantine during epidemics such as this one.